Twelve Days of Christmas
by Aaeri
Summary: Christmas Day is ending, but Lucy's isn't quite over yet. The beginning of her Christmas Adventure awaits her: Natsu has taken seriously the Christmas Carol he heard her singing, and is now giving her the same (extravagantly ridiculous) gifts as in the song. As the twelve days pass by and the gifts pile up, has Lucy realized her love for the Dragonslayer? NaLu
1. First Day of Christmas

**A/N** Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy Holidays! Today is the first day of Christmas, so I present to you a Fairy Tail adaptation of the Christmas Carol 'Twelve Days of Christmas'. You might want to quickly search up the lyrics for a better understanding of this fan fic, but if not, that's fine. I'll post the relevant lyric in the beginning of each chapter. I'll try to post a chapter every day for the corresponding day, and attempt to finish on January 5th (the twelfth day).

Here's my present to you! I hope you like it!

* * *

_On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: a partridge in a pear tree._

_It's a White Christmas after all_, Lucy thought, as she staggered out of the guild hall and onto white cobblestones. Pausing for a moment to capture her breath, she put all of her effort into moving her right leg in front of her left, and then her left in front of her right, and then the whole cycle all over again. By the time she had mustered enough energy to stand up properly, she had marked a thin trail in the snow behind her, a trail that was quickly being covered by the snow that continued to fall.

"Ugh…why does this always happen?!" Lucy complained to the clouds that had darkened the sky. She was about to complain some more, but then gave up, apparently convincing herself that she should have known this would happen. It was _Christmas_ after all—an even better excuse for Fairy Tail to party, fight, drink and celebrate like the night would never end.

Except the night _had_ ended, and now Lucy was paying the price.

In an attempt to focus her mind on anything besides her aching muscles and her pounding head _(why did I drink so much?), _Lucy tried catching a snowflake on her tongue. She managed to instead introduce her face to a brick building, and immediately decided that catching snowflakes in her hand might be easier on her intoxicated mind. She stretched her arms outward, out towards the dark clouds, palms facing up, almost like an angel—_what are those suspicious looking marks on my arm and neck?_

Growling something under her breath that suspiciously sounded like 'Natsu', Lucy tugged the remains of her sleeves down in a futile attempt to hide the marks. _I'm going to kill him for this later…_

After realizing that she had been staring at a starless sky longer than socially acceptable, Lucy quickly looked down, and to her drunken delight, found that wandered close to home. Which meant…

_Riverside Walking._

It wasn't really walking per se; it was more of an attempt not to fall off the stones that lined the river. Although later, at a more sane point in time, Lucy might realize that her riverside walking wasn't exactly the best of ideas, Drunk Lucy could care less.

With an inappropriate squeal considering the time of the night, Lucy leapt onto the snow-dusted stones and attempted to balance upon them. Acknowledging a 'Watch out, Miss!' from the boatmen that passed by, but not quite heeding their advice, Lucy took a wobbly step forward. As her right foot came down, she teetered on her heels a bit, before composing herself. As she lifted her left leg to take another step forward, her right foot slipped on the snow, and Lucy yelped as she fell into an undignified heap.

No need to worry, it was on the dry part of the fall, but that fall was more than enough to convince Lucy that riverside walking could wait until she was more sober. She settled for cursing at those damned stones under her breath until she reached the apartment that she was renting out.

Turning the key in the doorknob, Lucy pushed the door open and almost had to take a step back as her senses where overwhelmed by the enticing aroma of freshly baked gingerbread cookies, the scent emanating from her ground-floor neighbor. Composing herself, she closed the door behind her and started to make her way upstairs. A bit more sober at this point, she realized that she still had her own presents waiting under her own Christmas tree.

Yes, she bought herself presents. A girl deserved a break, didn't she? And it's not like all the presents were from her, she got some from the maids who used to work at the Heartphillia Manor, the boatmen who always warned her not to fall into the river, and kind Mrs. Taylor who knew of Lucy's indulgences at the bakery. After all that she could write to her mom. Sitting there, in front of her gorgeous Christmas tree, the perfect embodiment of Christmas spirit…what a calm ending to a hectic day.

Still held up in thoughts about her fantasy future, Lucy unlocked her door and stepped into her apartment. Closing and locking the door behind her (for good measure, you never knew when someone might pop up unwanted), she turned around and was immediately greeted with two things.

One, her apartment was _freezing_, and

Two, her beautiful Christmas tree was _gone_.

Standing so still that she could have been one of the nutcrackers that lined the center plaza of Magnolia, Lucy's eyes flitted between the broken ornaments on the floor and the tree that took _her_ tree's place. With a growing horror, she realized that in place of her hand-picked pine was a sad excuse of a deciduous tree, its branches bare of leaves, and more importantly, ornaments.

This could not get any worse.

_Chirp! Chirp Chirp! _

The sharp keen broke Lucy out of her shock-induced stupor. Her eyes slowly raked up the tree to rest upon a grey-brown bird whose leg had been tied to the tree with a rope.

For several moments, Lucy just stared at the bird as it attempted to peck its way out of its binding, completely missing the mop of pink hair that had come out from behind the tree.

"Oh, hey Luce! Why'd you come home so late? Man, it must take you forever to walk to the guild if that's how long…"

Natsu's words went right over Lucy's head as she began to connect the dots in her head. _Apartment freezing. Christmas a disaster. Animal Abuse. Natsu._

"Natsu…"she growled, slowly turning to look at him as he ate—_was that the chicken leg dipped in butter sauce that she'd specially ordered for today?!—_ Oh this was way too much.

(_It_ really is amazing how someone could be so devoid of energy moments before, and then suddenly seemed to be overflowing in it.)

Breaking off in his laughter, Natsu noticed her gaze. "Hey, you noticed the tree! Do you like my present, Luce? I got exactly what you wanted!"

All the hot air that had been ballooning up in Lucy for her to scald Natsu with was released as an inkling of what happened began to take place in her mind. "Exactly…what I wanted?"

"Aye!" a new voice exclaimed, its source a blue Exceed called Happy. "Lucy kept singing about a partridge in a pear tree so Natsu and I went and got one!" Here he paused to take a bite out of a dead fish he had been holding, presumably taken from Lucy's refrigerator.

_Singing about a bird and a tree? He couldn't mean… _

Natsu took this as his cue to interject, "You had a pine tree instead for some reason. We thought that you just couldn't find the pear tree—"

"So Natsu dug out the Mayor's and brought it here!" Happy interrupted, priding himself on what was clearly his idea.

Natsu tried again to regain his glory in Lucy's eyes as he pointed out what had clearly been his infallible logic, "We planted your pine in the pear tree's place, so I don't think the Mayor would mind, right?"

Lucy, who still in shock, could not find the once overflowing energy that was in her to properly come up with her trademark _Lucy Kick_, a last-ditch effort to knock some sense into Natsu. Instead, she settled on a dumbfounded, "Of course it is…"

Taking Lucy's shock as confusion (well, she was confused, but not so much so as shocked into immobility), Happy decided that he needed to explain the deep thought that he and Natsu had put into deciding Lucy's present.

"Lucy had too much to drink~! Not even remembering that she had been telling us all about this for weeks!" At this Happy gave Lucy _that look_, before flying up to Natsu's shoulder and biting some more out of his fish.

"Oh no," Lucy mumbled. Either oblivious to what she said or conveniently ignoring it, Natsu flashed her a bright grin, motioning to the partridge tied to the tree.

"Happy helped find the bird. It wouldn't stay in one place though, and since you said _in_ a pear tree, I tied it down. That's fine, right?" His eyes met hers, and Lucy felt herself melt a little bit more at the seemingly good intentions in his eyes. Opening her mouth to respond, she only managed to get out a 'Natsu' before he turned around and began padding his way into the kitchen.

"Just wait 'til tomorrow, Luce! I'm getting you exactly what you want for Christmas!" With that, he left a stunned Lucy (whose suspicions were completely confirmed at this point), an ornament-free pear tree, and a futilely struggling bird, in search for more food in the refrigerator.

Sighing to herself, Lucy slowly made her way to the still-struggling bird and untied the rope holding it down with shivering fingers. Cupping its small body in her hands, Lucy made her way to the still-open window and opened her palms. As the bird flew into the falling snow, Lucy shut the window behind her and wrapped her arms around herself, only now completely feeling that chill that had long since settled. Watching each snowflake slowly fall onto the stone road under her, Lucy breathed a quiet sigh and pivoted. She looked towards the light emanating from the kitchen, towards the merry sounds in the kitchen, towards her best friends. _Oh Natsu_, she thought, with a small smile on her lips, _did you actually remember? Are you actually doing this?_

She looked back at the bare tree, the broken ornaments on the floor, and a small rope on the floor, then back at the kitchen. _Probably not,_ she mused to herself, as she walked forward to pick up the cracked remains of ornaments. _The pear tree was easy…but Natsu wouldn't remember the rest._

She took a step back from the tree, and moved towards the kitchen to dispose of the shards. _But, I guess that's fine as well._

* * *

**A/N** Aaaand with that we have the first day of Christmas segment come to a close. Lucy doesn't realize her feelings about Natsu yet, but that will soon change…

::to be continued::


	2. Second Day of Christmas

**A/N **I know in the song that the next day includes the day before's gift, but I'm going to take some liberties and not have Natsu give Lucy the same gift 12 times. So it's just going to be the specific gift for each day.

* * *

_On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: two turtle doves…_

If you looked inside a certain guild in Magnolia on Christmas Day and the day after, you wouldn't suspect any changes at all. Fairy Tail, in all its glory, was still fighting, partying, and drinking like the day before.

But, if you looked a little closer, you would realize that a certain Celestial Spirit Mage was slumped over the bar counter, her strawberry milkshake left untouched. And, if you somehow had the ability to see into the future, you would know that this mage's day wasn't going to be so typical.

"Mira-saaan…" our blonde witch groaned, not bothering to look up from her position. In fact, Lucy lifted her head from her former position on her shoulder only to bury it in-between her arms. Although a magical remedy for hangovers tended to make one extremely tired, Lucy felt as if though she had taken three. To make things worse, she wasn't exactly feeling the holiday cheer everyone else was displaying, and was sitting alone in a corner of the bar.

Mira-san, or MiraJane as she was more commonly known as (although Mira was a common nickname), was polishing a glass some distance from Lucy. Giving the glass once last rub, she turned around and smiled mischievously at Lucy. "You should join the fun, Lucy! Christmas is such a magical time of the year, and someone as young as you should use it to find some love~!" Mira punctuated the statement by winking suggestively, before setting the polished glass down and walking over to Lucy. "In fact, I saw a certain dragonslayer making his way to your house yesterday!" She slyly nudged Lucy in the shoulder at this, before crouching down to whisper into Lucy's ear. "Did anything happen? Was there any…Christmas Magic in your home?"

Lucy's head had been in her arms all throughout this blatant matchmaking. However, not a moment after Mira had uttered her last sentence did Lucy bolt straight up and growl, only to have her face soften into a fond and bemused look a moment later_. Well_, Mira thought with an amused expression on her face, _I was expecting some incoherent denial, but certainly not _this.

Before Mira could question the curious change of emotions on Lucy's face, Natsu slid on the barstool next to Lucy with a reckless grin on his face. He had evidently been fighting again if the sweat on his brow was anything to go by, but he seemed a little too enthusiastic to be thinking of some brawl that had just happened.

His enthusiasm was answered soon enough, as he leaned in close to Lucy, exclaiming "Did you check by the fireplace mantle yet?!"

Whatever events that had taken place yesterday that Lucy had been thinking about were quickly replaced by confusion as she turned around to look at Natsu. "Fireplace mantle?"

"Yeah!" Natsu grinned, not bothering to hide his obvious delight for what was to come. "The shelf on top of the fireplace."

Lucy gave him a fond smile (acknowledge by Mira, who considered this a small victory), before setting into her usual, exasperated expression. "It's the fireplace _rack_, idiot, we don't have a mantle!"

Natsu, who was all too used to Lucy correcting him, simply waved her off. "Yeah, whatever. Did you check it though?"

"Of course I didn't check it, why would I check the fireplace?" she said, rolling her eyes. Halfway through, she noticed Happy sitting with Carla some tables away, a small reassurance that whatever was going to happen didn't involve the blue feline.

"I don't know," Natsu interrupted, and Lucy's eyes snapped back to him, "you're always doing weird things like that"

"I DO NOT DO WEIRD THINGS!" Lucy defended herself, immediately ruling that Happy was everywhere and could not be avoided. Before she could stike down Natsu's misconceived notion a bit more, she was cut off by an anxious bartender.

"Lucy," Mira interrupted, seeing that the conversation was quickly being derailed from what could be a romantic moment, "Go check the fireplace rack."

Lucy glanced back at Mira for a second, before deciding that this was the perfect ecuse to go check on the fireplace rack. "Fine!" Lucy huffed, getting off of her barstool. "But I'm only checking because Mira-san asked me to!" she added, with a glare at Natsu, whose expression still hadn't changed from gleeful anticipation. Following Lucy's suit, he hopped off of his barstool, leaving Mira staring at the two with a wistful expression on her face.

Lucy, in the meantime, had reached the fireplace rack in the corner of the guild hall, and was closely examining it for any signs of Natsu. Seeing only stockings hanging, she turned back towards him, arms crossed, and waited until he was close enough. "Is this another weird joke? There's nothing here! And I swear, if another fish comes flying at my face…"

Natsu, who was acting rather oddly for an accused person, merely laughed and asked, "You really are blind, Lucy!"

Lucy huffed and turned back the fireplace, and closely examined the only thing visible—the stockings. Noticing that her stocking, a baby blue one with her name embroidered on it, was bulging abnormally, she cautiously picked it off its hook. Anticipating something horrible (like fish) she slowly opened it, eyes peering into the opening.

In a giant rush of white, Lucy's head snapped back as something smacked her in the face and flew off with a screech. "Natsu, what was that?!" she screamed, rubbing at her face as if there were something left over.

Natsu, who was trying very hard not to laugh, managed to breath out a "That was some reaction to turtle doves!" before collapsing in a fit of laughter.

Lucy would have taken this opportunity to smack some sense into Natsu if it wasn't for the fact that she had just had a moment of clarity. "You—you actually got me two turtle doves?"

"Duh," Natsu said, composed enough to look at Lucy strangely, "I told you I was getting you what you wanted for Christmas."

Before Lucy could reply, a certain ice mage, who had been close enough to witness the event, broke out of his brawl and made his way towards the duo.

"Did I just hear you correctly, hothead?" Gray sneered, his shirt miraculously gone in the three seconds it took him to walk over. "You got Lucy what she wanted, instead of something you wanted?"

"Of course I did!" Natsu scoffed back. "At least I know what people want. I bet you gave Lucy soap for Christmas!"

"What'd you say, flame-brain?!"

"Stripper!"

"Dragon breath!"

"Ice for brains!"

Lucy tuned them both out, before glancing down at her empty stocking, an unreadable expression on her face. _Natsu…I thought there might have been more to this…but it's just an honest mistake, huh?_

Back at the bar, Mira watched Natsu and Gray bickering before settling her gaze on Lucy, whose hair covered her eyes. _Oh Lucy_, she thought to herself, _if you don't realize what's happening soon…you might just miss the magic in front of you._

With that thought in mind, Mira made her way over to a blue-haired bookworm, stopping right in front of her table. If there was anyone close enough to Lucy to get the job done properly, it was the petite girl whose nose was currently buried in a book. Taking a deep breath, Mira put on her best smile, and set down two drinks next to the book.

"Levy, we need to talk. About Lucy."

* * *

::tbc::


	3. Third Day of Christmas

_On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: three French hens…_

Prodding at the marshmallow that was currently floating in her hot chocolate, Levy turned a page in the mystery novel she was reading. The heroine in the story had just realized that the man she had fallen in love with was actually the serial murderer she was trying to find, and had been in a constant state of angst for at least three chapters following this revelation. Levy didn't particularly like cliché books like that, so it didn't hurt her as much to put it away when she saw Lucy approaching from a distance.

Quickly going over the plan of action in her mind, Levy gave an uncharacteristically mischievous smile to the waiter as she ordered another hot chocolate. As the waiter walked away, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty about the little manipulation that she had agreed to.

Since Mira had approached her yesterday asking for her cooperation, Levy had set up a lunch date with Lucy at their favorite diner. With the homely design it offered, it was the perfect soothing cream for Levy's guilty conscience.

Levy usually didn't take part in the little matchmaking schemes that Mira always seemed to concoct, but after witnessing Lucy and Natsu skitter around each other for _months _now, she decided that she had to help her friend. Really, this was for the better. Lucy would stop being dense and finally realize that she loves Natsu, and Mira would be satisfied with another matchmaking scheme gone according to plan. If Levy happened to get the rare archeology book that she had been searching for months out of this deal too, well, no one would be wiser.

Mira really knew how to convince a girl.

Putting her best I'm-totally-innocent smile on, Levy waved to Lucy as she pushed open the checkered door. "Lu-chan! I'm so glad you could make—_your hair!"_ Levy's tone quickly grew alarmed as Lucy walked in, two feathers buried in her hair and one on the side of her sleeve. Levy knew that Lucy took great pride in her appearance, so seeing her in such a state naturally prompted worry. However, Levy's alarm gradually subsided as she noticed an annoyed, yet wistful look on Lucy's face. Lucy slid into the booth, sitting on the plush, red cushion opposite from Levy, and gave a sigh, prolonging her answer by accepting the cup of hot chocolate that the waiter had come to offer.

After spending as much time as possible to drink some hot chocolate, Lucy spoke to her cup. "In the weeks leading up to Christmas, I was in the Christmas spirit: decorating my tree, buying gifts, singing carols…" She paused here to look up at Levy, who gave her an encouraging nod, before continuing. "Natsu overheard me singing 'Twelve Days of Christmas' and thought it was me singing what I actually wanted! Now he's giving me the same gifts as in the song…"

Levy could barely contain her squeal as she grabbed Lucy's hand and exclaimed, "And today's the third day of Christmas! He got you three French hens?" Seeing Lucy nod without looking away from her cup, Levy gave Lucy's hand a squeeze. "Lu-chan, what's wrong? Aren't you glad that Natsu is paying attention for once?"

Gripping her hot chocolate with more force than necessary, Lucy finally forced her gaze away from the hot chocolate and instead settled her eyes on Levy. "It's not that, Levy-chan… I mean, the song is supposed to be between two lovers and—"

"You don't love Natsu?" Normally, Levy would not dare to ask anyone something in such a blunt manner, but she needed to know exactly what her strategy would be. Her bold moment was not without victory, as Lucy blushed a deep red and started to stammer.

"No! I mean, we're friends and he was the one who introduced me to Fairy Tail and we're team partners and…" Realizing that she was ranting, Lucy took a deep breath and composed herself. "It's just that he's so close to me, and we're good friends…but I don't think I love him!"

Levy did a little victory dance in her head. What Lu-chan was describing was exactly what a person in denial would say (if the large number of romance novels that she read was any indication). However, Lu-chan would have to figure that out for herself.

Just like the heroine in the mystery novel Levy had been reading had cornered the serial killer, Levy would need to corner Lucy in order to have Lucy realize her feelings for Natsu. Now, it was time to begin.

_Sorry, Lu-chan. But you need this._

Levy quietly slid out a folded piece of paper that Mira had given her yesterday from the novel. Opening up Lucy's palm, Levy placed the paper on it, and then closed Lucy's fingers over it. "Maybe you should find out, Lucy! A good story can never progress if the heroine is constantly in a state of angst. Why don't you and Natsu take a job out of town, just the two of you? That way, you'd be able to make sure of your feelings."

A wave of guilt washed over Levy as she saw a small hope in Lucy's eyes. Trying to justify her actions to herself, she quickly added, "And you'll never finish your story if you're like this! I'm still waiting to read it, you know!" Levy gave a small laugh before jerking her hand back, cradling it around her cup instead.

Levy watched as Lucy opened her hand and unfolded the job flyer. She watched as Lucy's gears began turning in her head, and as they came to halt. She watched as Lucy gave her a "You know what, Levy-chan, I think I will accept this job! It might be the perfect way to figure it out…you're such a great friend!" She watched all of it happen and she remembered something.

Levy remembered exactly why she never participated in any of Mira's matchmaking games. She wasn't cut out for this sort of thing. To see her friend smile at something orchestrated…it didn't sit well with Levy.

But then again, she remembered what Mira had told her. Lucy needed this.

That rare archaeology book better be worth it.

* * *

::tbc::


	4. Fourth Day of Christmas

_On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: four calling birds..._

It was early in the morning when Mira decided to move onto Phase Two of her scheme (which she was considering giving a codename but couldn't decide). After serving Max his drink inside the Fairy Tail guild, Mira started to make her way over to an inconspicuous pair sitting at the far edge of the bar.

On her way there, she picked up some of the conversation her targets where having. "I could set it on fire?" she heard him suggest, and immediately became alarmed. Setting things on fire was definitely not romantic, and if Mira was going to succeed in her plans, she was going to have to intervene. _Now_.

Jogging the last bit so that she could make it in time, Mira finally reached Natsu and Happy, who had paused their conversation when they heard her approaching. Not giving them a chance to acknowledge her, Mira quickly greeted the duo, "Hello, Natsu, Happy! Would you like anything to drink?" She winked at Happy, before sliding him the fish she had grabbed on the way here. He grabbed it, not wasting a second before biting right into it.

"It's delicious, Mira!" he mumbled through bits of fish.

Natsu, on the other hand, replied, "Nah, can you just pack something up? We're leaving soon and—" He grimaced for a moment, clearly thinking about the train ride ahead, before continuing. "Lucy told you already, right?" Mira smiled at this.

"Why yes, Lucy did tell me about a job that she had wanted to take out of town." Mira answered. "But I thought you'd be a little more excited about going on a new job."

"I am excited!" Natsu exclaimed, supported by an "Aye!" in the background. "It's just that I don't know how I'm going to give Lucy the gifts she wants anymore...especially if we go out of town," he clarified, after seeing Mira raise an eyebrow at him.

"Aye," Happy said. "Lucy wanted some really weird gifts! It was really hard to get the first three, and…"

"And you didn't think this far ahead," Mira finished for him, watching Natsu and Happy nod. Well, Cupid had certainly played the cards in her favor. Now she could have Natsu give Lucy her gifts in the best way possible (without it looking like she had played a role). All she had to do at this point was convince Natsu.

"Lucy told me all about the gifts she wanted," Mira lied. Well, not _lie_: Lucy had told Levy, so it was almost the same thing. "So I know exactly what she wants. Want me to help you get it?"

"Yeah!"

"Aye!"

"Well then," Mira smiled, leaning across the bar counter conspiratorially. "Let's begin. See, the man who hired you for the job owes me some favors, so I'm sure this idea will work out fine…"

This was, in fact, going to work out perfectly.

* * *

Lucy groaned as she staggered into the house of the man who had requested Fairy Tails' service. This job had been particularly difficult, and Lucy had gotten more injuries than usual. She had been too occupied with thinking about how she could clarify this gift-giving miscommunication that she hadn't been paying that much attention, resulting in more scratches than she had anticipated. At this point, all she wanted to do was go to the room that Mira had rented out for her (claiming that it was impossible to get a room unless you had booked one ahead of time) and fall right into the bed. But before that, she had to collect her reward.

Following Natsu and Happy, Lucy entered an ornately decorated waiting room. Rich, plush cushions sat atop of unused sofas, and china decorated the walls. A large, vivid picture of a man eating out of a bowl of grapes took up the entire west side of the room. A glass table was situated in the center, with colored orbs of some sort sitting atop of it. Being brought up in such an environment, Lucy could tell that her employer considered 3 million jewels a drop in the bucket.

After being offered a seat on the couch with a sheet over it (she knew she was dirty, but still!), Lucy watched as her employer beckoned a servant over to Natsu. She carefully watched the servant bring in a large, rectangular box and hand it over to Natsu, whose face had broken out into a large grin. Not minding the fact that Natsu smiling at a box meant nothing but trouble, Lucy nudged Natsu and whispered "Where's our money?"

Before he could get a chance to reply, the servant timidly said "The Lord thanks you for your services and asks that you are escorted outside immediately," which Lucy knew meant _don't open that up here._

She stood up and nudged Natsu, who had been trying to open up the box, whispering "Not now!" He looked at her strangely before motioning to Happy and following after the servant, who was holding open the double doors. All three of the Fairy Tail mages filed out the door and into the beautifully decorated garden. The minute they stepped outside Natsu had resumed his efforts to pry open the box, only to have it swiftly grabbed by the servant.

"If you please, sir, I will carry this for you," the servant said, walking away despite Natsu's exclamations of "Hey! Give it back!"

Unfortunately, the servant did not know Natsu and the fact that anything Natsu considered dear would not be taken away without consequences. The servant had scarcely managed to step foot outside of the richly decorated garden when he was introduced to the ground as a flaming fist hit him square in the head. "Natsu!" Lucy screamed, running after him. "You can't do that to people!" She stopped in front of the man, who was currently unconscious, before pulling him into a bush. Standing back up, she glanced over Natsu, who was standing unperturbed.

Unmindful of the fact that if their employer found out that Natsu had knocked his servant unconscious he would call the authorities (and take away their payment), Natsu bent down and picked up the box, resuming his unwrapping of it. "He was stealing our reward!" he defended, pulling away the last pieces of cardboard from the box's contents.

"He was helping us, idiot!" Lucy sighed in exasperation. Before she could do anything else, she found herself holding a cage.

"A cage?"

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed, flying over to sit on top of said cage. "Lucy, you hit your head too hard! You forgot that you wanted four calling birds today."

Lucy promptly picked him up and threw him at Natsu, who simply caught Happy and laughed. She looked down at the cage, and sure enough, there sat four birds, all four of them chirping, tweeting and singing.

Listening to those birds, Lucy felt as if time had frozen at that moment. A warm, indescribable feeling began to spread within her, something that made her feel at home. It was something she felt when her mother used to hug her when she was little. She couldn't quite place her finger on it. It felt familiar…what was it?

Lucy's silent contemplation was broken by a sudden thought. She looked at the remains of the box, then at Natsu, then at the box again.

"Natsu…where's our reward?"

Natsu gestured to the cage she was holding in her hand. "He just gave it to us," he said, as if he was stating the obvious.

Whatever Lucy had been thinking about flew right out of her head. "You traded three million jewels for some birds?!" she yelled, stepping closer to Natsu.

"Not just any birds, the ones you wanted!" Happy intervened. At this, Lucy paused, glancing back at the cage_. Yes, I guess you would see it that way but…_

"What about the rest of the money?" she asked through her teeth, trying not to sound annoyed after realizing that Natsu had just gotten her what he thought she wanted.

Natsu, mishearing Lucy's question, answered "I'm giving it to you tomorrow! You said you wanted it for the fifth day of Christmas!" He grinned and gave his shoulders a shrug, before turning around. "Man, I'm really tired. Let's go back to the hotel, Happy!" He started walking away from the garden, before stopping and turning back around. "You coming, Luce?" he asked, cocking his head to the side as he waited for her.

Looking down at the cage one last time, Lucy took a step forward and looked back at Natsu. "Yeah," she said, "I am. So you better not run off without me."

Feelings felt when she had opened the gift had long receded to the back of her mind.

* * *

**(A/N)** Tanto Storm, since you're a guest and I can't reply to you via PM, I'll reply here: Thank you! I'm glad that this story is what you're looking for. If you have anything you'd like to see, please tell me!

::tbc::


	5. Fifth Day of Christmas

_On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: five gold rings…_

Upon arriving to the room that Mira had rented out for the trio, Lucy had unlocked the door and found that the room had included only one bed. For the two of them. _One bed._

Normally Lucy wouldn't mind, since Natsu crept into her bed every night in Magnolia anyway, but she had taken this job to see if Natsu meant anything more to her. Sleeping in a bed together was _not_ going to help her thought process.

She hadn't bothered to ask for another room since Mira had told her there were no vacancies. Instead, she had dropped her luggage on the ground, and crouched in front of it. She unzipped it and began to rummage through it.

Gathering up her clothes, Lucy rushed into the bathroom without a second glance at Natsu. Locking the door behind her (she couldn't take a risk after what happened _last time_), she quickly stripped down and stepped into the tub. Turning the water on, she grabbed the shower curtain and pulled it closed. With that, she closed her eyes, letting the warm water droplets slide down her face. Steam tendrils curling around her, she found herself relaxing for the first time in many days.

However relaxing that shower might have been, Lucy was still unable to solve the questions that Levy had brought up two days ago. A bit frustrated, she stepped out of the shower, putting her hair into a towel. Glancing at the clothes she had gotten, she was struck with a sudden idea. She tiptoed out of the tub, and slid up oh-so-quietly against the door, ears straining to hear any sound. Satisfied at the lack of noise, she grabbed another towel and wrapped it around her body, tucking the ends of it inside. She pulled down on the door handle, and the door swung open.

Lucy grimaced at the cold air that rushed in to suddenly hit her. She picked up her clothes off the ground, stepping out of the bathroom. She made her way over to the single bed and sat down, throwing her clothes into her open suitcase. Her hands made their way up to the towel on her head to undo it, throwing that onto the suitcase as well.

She was in the process of undoing the towel on her body as well when a burst of smoke suddenly exploded in her face. Lucy screamed, grabbing her Celestial Key Case and pulling out Taurus' when the smoke subsided enough to give her a clear enough view of who was standing in it.

"Lo-Loki?" Lucy coughed, smoke filling up her throat and nose. She rubbed at her eyes, trying to get a clearer figure of who exactly was standing in the middle of the plumes of smoke.

Sure enough, when Lucy's eyes had adjusted and the smoke had subsided, the King of the Spirits, Leo the Lion, was standing in the center. "My lovely Lucy," he began, dropping onto one knee with one hand splayed across his chest. "You are looking more beautiful than the rose that blooms in the wintertime." At this he paused, his eyes raking over Lucy's body.

Lucy, who was all too used to such an occurrence, grabbed the nearest thing in her reach and threw it at him. "Loki, _what are you doing here?_" she yelled, pulling the towel closer to the body in a vain effort to cover more of herself.

"Why, my dear Lucy," he sniffed, tears suddenly appearing out of nowhere, "I crossed through my gate. You hadn't called me on your job, and I could only assume that my Christmas gift did not suit your taste." At this, he stood up, crossing the distance between him and Lucy in one stride. Stopping right in front of her, he fell back again on one knee.

Lucy watched as Loki's hand reached into his pocket and pulled something out. She turned her gaze back towards him when he gripped her hand, now-dry eyes looking straight at her. "I could only assume that my gift had not been what you were truly searching for. As such," Loki paused, opening up the box to reveal a brilliantly shining ring. "My dear Lucy, will you take this ring as a proclamation of our love?"

"Loki, how many times do I have to tell you, I'm not in love—" was what Lucy had begun to say before she was broken off by the loud slam of her room's door crashing against the wall. In the doorframe stood Natsu and Happy, the former of which was panting.

"Lucy, are you alright? I heard you screaming and—" Natsu paused, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene before him. Ignoring the fact that Lucy was only in a towel (he'd seen her like that many times before this, after all), his gaze fell to the sparkling diamond that lay in her hand and the spirit who was currently looking very upset at having his moment ruined. "What's he doing here?"

"Natsu, you're ruining a defining moment of our relationship—" Loki fumed, but was quickly overrun by a wary Natsu, who was quickly making his way over to the duo.

He came to a halt right in front of them, looking down at the ring and then back at Lucy. Happy, who had flown into the room after Natsu, landed on Lucy's lap and looked up at her with huge eyes. "Lucy, you told Loki what you wanted for Christmas too?" he asked in disbelief.

Lucy, who was still taken in the unexpectedness of this all, started to stammer. "What—? No! I didn't—you didn't even—I mean—" she was cut off by a taken aback spirit.

"You told Natsu what you wanted for Christmas but you didn't tell me?" Loki sputtered, not willing to understand that his love's affections were for Natsu, of all people.

"Well, not really—" Lucy started, but was again cut off, this time by the Dragonslayer.

While Loki had been pouting, Natsu had picked off the ring from its case, examined it, and had put it back. "It's not even gold." He said, apparently satisfied.

"Of course it's not gold, why would I get her—" In another large puff of smoke, the King of the Spirits disappeared, having had his gate closed by a very annoyed Lucy.

"Well, at least he's gone," Lucy said, breathing out a sigh of relief. Turning around to face Natsu to tell him that she was going to change and not to break the door of the hinges when he didn't find her, Lucy was instead met by five, very yellow, very sparkly rings.

"What are those?" Lucy asked, trying her hardest to believe that her suspicions weren't correct.

"It's the five gold rings you wanted," Natsu explained, moving the open palm upon which the rings rested towards a very stunned Lucy.

"You—you actually got them?" Lucy whispered, breathless. She couldn't quite describe how she felt at this moment. Natsu—he actually got her the rings? She was so sure he would have stopped by today…

_She didn't want him to stop._

She liked this feeling, knowing that Natsu cared enough to get her what (he thought) she wanted. She didn't want to speak and ruin the moment, but a question was nagging at her.

"Where did you get the money for this?"

"The reward money," he said. "It was three million Jewels so..."

"So Natsu asked the man to give him these rings and what you wanted instead!" Happy interjected. "Do you like it?"

"Yes," Lucy murmured, still in the bliss of that feeling. "I love it."

_But do I love you?_

* * *

::tbc::


	6. Sixth Day of Christmas

_On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: six geese a-laying…_

Dear Mama,

It's the sixth day of Christmas today! There's still some snow on the ground here and it looks really pretty, but it's not enough to play with. That's fine though, because snow that hasn't been touched is sometimes even better. I remember you used to tell me that when I was little, but I never listened…

Sorry for not writing to you sooner. I was on a job with Natsu and Happy for the past few days and I didn't get a lot of time. Right now I'm on the train ride home. Natsu is being sick out the window again, and Happy is sleeping in the space next to him. So I thought I'd just write to you now. It's kind of hard to, but we're still an hour away from Magnolia…and I have something on my mind.

Remember how I told you that since Natsu heard me singing the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' carol, he thought it was just what I was singing, and was getting me the same gifts? He hasn't given up, Mama. Today he actually managed to give me the geese. Well not really give it to me, per se, but close enough.

It was after we had left the hotel room to go to the train station. We were walking down the path, past the forest that bordered the station, when he suddenly grabbed my hand and started dragging me towards the forest. I'm sure some people thought I was being kidnapped, because I shrieked really loudly all of a sudden

When I asked him where he was taking me, I might have smacked him with my luggage (I was trying to be nice, Mama, but this is Natsu here). He just grinned and told me we were going to get what I wanted for Christmas.

Then I remembered it was the sixth day of Christmas. Which meant _geese._

In the end, we came to a pond and he pointed to some birds across of it. It was a nest of geese, Mama. I don't how long we were there, just standing next to each other, before he turned to me and asked me if I liked it.

Of course I liked it! I bet even if Natsu ended up giving me something I didn't like, I would end up liking it. That's just how it works. He'll laugh and I'll yell at him, but then when I think of the thought that went behind the gift, I end up liking it. I wonder if he knows that and gets me gifts I don't like on purpose.

Nah, probably not. Natsu wouldn't do that.

Anyways, back to what happened. After a while, we just walked back to the station and caught our train. Just barely, though, because Natsu remembered all of a sudden that he gets motion sick and was putting up a terrific fight. In the end, I managed to drag him on (after Happy kept wailing on how mean I am). And so here I am, sitting across from said motion sick mage and cat, writing to you.

I don't know how Natsu does it. Where does he find all of it? I know he told me that he was able to find the geese because he has a good nose and he sniffed them out, but what about all the others? I'm getting kind of excited actually. I really want to see how he gets the other gifts!

But every time I try imagining what will happen, I always end up thinking to myself, _why is he giving me these gifts? _They're so hard to find and he could have given me anything else. I always say I want things, especially when I drag him shopping with me (but then I treat him to food after!). I don't know what this means.

I don't know what _we_ mean. Four days ago, Levy-chan asked me if I loved Natsu. I don't think I love him! We're just friends, and besides, I don't even think he loves me. Even if he's giving me the gifts that true lovers are supposed to give each other. Knowing Natsu, he probably didn't even realize it. He's so dense sometimes!

But even if we're friends…

When I got my gifts, I felt something…different; I don't know how to explain it. I know it's not the same feeling I get with everyone else and everything else but…

I never really noticed it until now. Maybe you can help me?

It's something warm, it just makes you feel special inside. Like someone genuinely cares about you and your feelings. I don't know how else to describe it.

I've never felt like someone cared about me before I came to Fairy Tail. Before I met Natsu and Happy and he helped me join.

But back to the feeling. I'm pretty sure love doesn't feel this way, right? Love would be…I don't know, if Natsu brought me flowers and sang to me and all that stuff. That's how love is in the books. I've never really been in love before…

I didn't have many friends before I joined Fairy Tail.

But you've been in love right? Maybe you could tell me what it's like.

This feeling…maybe I can describe it again later. I don't know why it's so hard. But until then, I'll try to work something out.

I still plan on keeping my promise to you to live my life to the fullest, and to follow my dreams! I'm off to make them come true!

Best of wishes,

Lucy Heartphillia, Fairy Tail mage.

* * *

::tbc::


	7. Seventh Day of Christmas

_On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: seven swans a-swimming…_

It was New Year's Eve today, and although celebrations didn't typically start until the sun had gone down, Fairy Tail had begun partying the moment the sun had gone up. Tables were breaking, fists were flying, and people were drinking. As such, Mira should have been very busy keeping up with everyone's requests. However, something she considered to be of more importance was currently plaguing her mind.

Idly wiping down the bar counter, Mira wondered for the umpteenth time how her plan had gone. Although convincing the Lord to pay in birds and gold rings wasn't exactly easy, the harder part was pulling it off correctly. Mira didn't want to put all her chances on misfortune, but Natsu had a tendency to pull things off in the wrong way.

Frustrated, she turned around and threw the rag she had used to wipe down the bar counter into a basin filled with soapy water. As she began to walk over to the beer mugs to wipe those down too, she realized that she had thrown away the wet rag. Biting back a sigh, she turned around again to go retrieve it when the doors of the guild hall suddenly flew open.

"I'm back!" a very energized Natsu shouted out, as he walked through the doors, allowing them to slam behind him. The commotion in the guild paused for a second, and some mutterings of 'Welcome Back' were heard, before the parting resumed again. Natsu, paying no mind to what was a normal occurrence, turned and spotted Mira at the bar counter. He walked towards her, Happy trailing him in the back.

"Oi, Mira! Your plan worked out great, thanks!" He grinned, sliding onto a bar stool. Happy came to a rest next to him, magic dissipating as he stood on the wooden bar counter.

On the outside, Mira smiled and said "Really?" while on the inside, she did a victory dance.

"Aye! Lucy was so happy; she couldn't talk after she got her gifts!" Happy opened his mouth to say some more, but his gaze suddenly caught his love, Carla, and he flew over to her.

Meanwhile, Inner Mira had suddenly frozen in her victory dance upon hearing Happy's words, while Outside Mira's smile slipped just a little. "She couldn't talk…?"

"Yeah, she really liked it!" Natsu replied, obviously very satisfied on how he thought things had gone.

_Oh no,_ Mira thought. _She could have been upset at the gift… I need to make sure._

"That's great, Natsu!" she said instead, smiling a bit more to cover her uncertainties. "Where is Lucy, anyway?

Natsu waved his hand in the air offhandedly. "She went home to rest after we came back."

_Or to cry about how her (unrealized) love pulled of my plan horribly!_

"Have you thought about what you're giving her today?"

All energy that had previously been in Natsu mysteriously vanished, and the color in his face drained a little. "To-Today?! I completely forgot! Mira, what am I going to do?" Natsu was visibly panicking, and Mira paused for a moment to take in the sight. Natsu was usually their guild's morale boost, never showing fear in the face of any danger. But to see him visibly flustered like this, over _Lucy_…well, Inner Mira might get to celebrate after all.

"Calm down, Natsu," Mira soothed, wishing that she could enjoy this display of young love a little longer. She leaned across the bar, and whispered into his ear. "Just listen to me…"

A few minutes later, Natsu got up and walked out of the guild without so much as a punch to anyone else, Happy trailing. Mira leaned back from her slouched position, before reaching under the counter to grab a cowbell. She usually didn't like drawing attention to herself, but for this…

This was different.

Mira rang the bell a couple of times, waiting for the guild hall to become completely quiet before beginning to speak. "I'm sure all of you know Natsu and Lucy…and how those two act around each other." At this she got some laughs, and even a few whistles. She calmly waited, before beginning to speak again. "The time for that is over. If you don't already know, Natsu is giving Lucy the same gifts as in the carol 'Twelve Days of Christmas.'"

"That idiot is actually managing to do that?" Gray snorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"He won't be able to do that for long." Mira gave Gray a look, before looking at the guild once more. "We all know Natsu, and we can't let him mess up on something like this. We need to support him through this, and I have a plan. But it needs all of Fairy Tail to succeed. Can I count on you?"

For a few, tense moments, there was only silence. Then Cana stood up, saying "We can't let Lucy go along without this. Am I right? _AM I RIGHT?!"_ she cheered, raising her beer mug over her head.

What followed was the deafening roar of Fairy Tail as they responded to Cana's little speech, and then the partying began again, this time with a more renewed spirit than from before.

In the background of it all stood Mira, a small smile on her face.

* * *

Lucy hummed to herself as she made her way through the crowded streets. Although the vendors were empty and the shops closed early, the streets were bustling, and everyone was in good cheer. It was New Year's Eve, and as the night had only barely begun, everyone was going someplace to party. Lucy was no exception. She was heading towards her guild when a dark shadow suddenly towered over her.

Lucy looked up, only to shrink back a little as a very formidable-looking Erza Scarlet towered over her. "E-Erza!" Lucy squeaked, before tentatively taking a step forward. The minute her foot came into contact with the road, Erza grabbed her arm and started to pull her in the opposite direction.

"Erza!" Lucy tried valiantly to pull herself out of the Requip mage's grasp, but it was no use. "Where are you going? Aren't you going to Fairy Tail?"

After some futile struggling and failed attempts to distract Erza, Lucy gave up. She instead walked beside Erza, and eventually, Erza let go, but not after looking Lucy dead straight in the eye, and asking, "Lucy, what do you think about Natsu's gifts?

"Eh?" Lucy looked towards Erza for some hint as to how she should answer, but she found none. A little cautious, Lucy tentatively began to explain. "Well…I really like them. I like how they make me feel, I just…I just don't know what they mean."

Erza nodded her head sagely. "So you love him?"

"EEEEHHHHH?" Lucy jumped, clearly not expecting such a question. "What-No! Of course not! Where does everyone get these ideas from?"

Erza turned her head, and muttered to herself "This is worse than I expected…"

Lucy looked towards Erza, squinting her eyes _because she knew she heard something_, but looked back in front of her after Erza had come to a stop.

Amidst the struggling and sudden questions, Lucy's hadn't realized that they had walked out of the city. It was dark now, maybe close to midnight, but there was a soft glow coming from out in front of them.

They stood silently in the opening of some clearing, fireflies hazily blinking in and out of sight. In the middle of the clearing lay a sparkling pond, clear water reflecting off the moonlight, bringing light to the clearing even as the forest that surrounded it remained shrouded in darkness.

In the center of the pond swam the swans.

They were beautiful: long elegant necks reaching out from white, feathery bodies that just lightly touched the water. Black eyes were fixated on the sides of their head, in such stark contrast to the white that surrounded it. It was a truly breathtaking sight.

Lucy turned her head in puzzlement to Erza, who was still looking out to the clearing, as if waiting for something. "Erza, why did you take me here?" The redhead didn't answer, but someone else did.

"Luce. You came."

There, standing off to the side of the pond, bathed in the glow of it was Natsu. "It's for you." He said softly. As Lucy stood stunned, the warm feeling she had begun to expect spreading through her, he started walking forward. He was but a few steps away from the duo when he was immediately stopped by a rather…unusual sight.

Erza had all of a sudden gone red in the face, and was now babbling incoherently. "H-How ni-nice of y-you to g-gi-give me su-such a ro-roma-romantic gift!" She continued to ramble on some more, still very flustered.

Natsu was looking at her with a combination of confusion and apprehension. Lucy, on the other hand, was not going to ruin her fuzzy feeling with Erza's misconceptions (the redhead always managed to confuse others' romantic activities with her own), and so she simply stepped (gingerly) around the flustered S-Class Witch and towards Natsu.

She stood there by his side for a moment, before leaning her head against his shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered. _Thank you for this feeling. Thank you for doing something like this, when no one else has. Thank you…_

They stood like that, through midnight and into the New Year, together, and as one.

* * *

**A/N** And we assume Erza came to her senses and walked back to the Fairy Tail guild to party after realizing Nalu true love. More conflicted!Lucy next chapter.

On that note, Have a Happy New Year, everybody! Thank you to all who have followed, favorited, and reviewed! I hope to see you with this story next year (lame joke, I know, but still).

::tbc::


	8. Eighth Day of Christmas

_On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: eight maids a-milking…_

It was the first day of the New Year, but the vendors in Magnolia didn't particularly care. Neither did the shoppers, for that matter. Just like any other day, the shops were open and business was booming. Everyone in the market knew exactly where they were supposed to be. Everyone except a young Celestial Spirit mage.

Lucy didn't quite know where she was, nor did she quite care. The sun had passed its zenith a little over an hour ago, so she wasn't particularly worried about her circumstances. She just wanted to bask in the moment a bit.

You see, earlier that morning, Natsu had given her the day's gift.

With a squeal, Lucy hugged her arms around herself, mind going fuzzy just from that feeling again. Standing there, in that stable… she still didn't know how he managed to find all these gifts. All she was really certain of was that he did, and they made her feel wonderful inside.

A brief thought that she was getting addicted to receiving gifts passed Lucy's mind, but she brushed it off. Everyone got fuzzy when they received gifts, so it was no guilty pleasure for her to revel in her own feelings.

She was rudely jolted from her thoughts as someone slammed into her shoulder and walked away. Lucy quickly realized that she had stopped in the middle of the vendor's market and that she was on the receiving end of the dirty looks as she stood smack in the middle of the road. A beet-red blush rose up in her cheeks, and she quickly ducked to the side of the street, hastily muttering apologies to the annoyed shoppers who glanced her way.

The Stellar Spirit mage stood there for a little longer, before deciding to walk back to her apartment. There was no use in standing in the middle of the road daydreaming, not when she could do so in the comfort of her home.

* * *

Lucy turned her key into her apartment door's lock, a bit alarmed when she realized that her door had been unlocked to begin with. Grasping one of her keys (just in case), she tentatively pushed the door open. She wasn't expecting a robber, but she'd been surprised one time too many when it came to matters like this, and she wasn't going to take any more chance. Peeking through the slightly opened door, Lucy neither saw nor heard anything of concern, so she pushed her door open all the way and slipped into her apartment. She gently closed the door behind her, locking it, before kicking her shoes off and padding to the living room.

Although Lucy wasn't very rich anymore, she took great pride in having her living room look as comforting as possible. In the left hand corner of the room sat her writer's desk, an ornate, wood carved beauty that had papers strewn over every available surface. Potted plants dotted the window next to it, giving a homely feeling to the apartment's inhabitants. In the center of the room lay a small table, four cushions lying on the floor on each side. Lucy had put those cushions there so that her uninvited guests (read: Team Natsu) would have somewhere to sit when they crashed. Currently, one of her uninvited guests had taken the liberty to make himself comfortable on the cushions.

"Ga-_Gajeel_?" Lucy gulped, racking her brains for any good reason as to why the Iron Dragonslayer had decided to grace her home with his business. She cautiously took a few steps forward, stopping when she saw him stir.

Gajeel, who had been leaning against the table with his eyes closed, opened one eye and glanced lazily at Lucy. "Oi, Bunny Girl. We need to talk." He motioned to the available cushions next to him, indicating that Lucy had permission to sit next to him.

_It's my house!_ Lucy thought crossly, but she obeyed Gajeel's command and sat on the blue cushion to the left of him. She didn't know him that well, and was unsure on how to act. "Sooo…what brings you here?" She asked timidly, ignoring the fact that Gajeel had just blatantly broken into her home.

Gajeel eyed at her for a moment. "So I heard the pipsqueak's getting you gifts or something." He had both of his eyes open now, and was looking at her expectantly.

"Y-yeah," she replied suspiciously. Why was everyone suddenly so interested on Natsu's gift giving? _I swear if he asks me if I love Natsu—_

"Do you love him?" _ARGH._

"No, I do not love him!" Realizing that she had snapped at Gajeel, Lucy lowered her voice before continuing. "We're just good friends, and he's just giving me gifts over a misconception. That's all."

The Dragonslayer gave her a look that she found a little disconcerting. "You know…he cares about you." Gajeel shifted his weight, turning to actually face Lucy as he looked her dead in the eye.

"Eh?"

"The brat wouldn't go through all this trouble if you didn't mean something to him," he clarified. "He cares about you a lot."

Lucy sat there, hesitant to reply. Gajeel gave her another look before standing up and walking to the door. He paused right before it, looking back over his shoulder. "Just keep that in mind before you do anything rash." With that, he gave a nonchalant wave of his hand and closed the door behind him.

She sat there, dumbfounded, as Gajeel's words repeated in her head. _You know…he cares about you._

Did Natsu really _care_ about her? She knew that he looked out for her in battle, they were partners after all, but to care about someone romantically, it was just…she couldn't see Natsu doing that.

A thought came unbidden to Lucy's mind. She uneasily remembered the events of last night, and how flustered Erza had seemed when she had mistaken Natsu's gift as for her. _Is that how special this gift-giving is? That even Erza would get that flustered in error?_

If it was so special…if even Gajeel could realize the importance in that…

With a jolt a wave of negative emotions overcame Lucy's mind. _He's so kind…and I don't even love him._

_I don't deserve to receive his gifts._

For a few moments, those thoughts rang in her mind, before she remembered something else. _But it's not like he loves me either… so it's fine then?_

_Can this really just be Natsu caring for me as a friend? That'd make it all right then, wouldn't it?_

The day soon turned to night, and Lucy found herself falling asleep at the table, muddled thoughts disorienting her even in her dreams,

* * *

**A/N **Poor, misguided Lucy. Let's give her a break, shall we? *Evil laughter* Sorry Lucy…

She needs to figure out that she's in love ASAP. This story's only twelve chapters, after all! But not to worry. She's almost there…

::tbc::


	9. Ninth Day of Christmas

_On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: nine ladies dancing…_

By all means, the second day of the New Year was supposed to be a joyous day. It was the day where you continued the New Year's Resolutions that you had made in an effort to change yourself. For the most part, the mages inside the Fairy Tail hall were living up to that promise. They were partying with even more enthusiasm than normal, with more fights breaking out because of the jittery excitement in the air. Occasionally, some passerby would stop and question the overly rowdy antics of Fairy Tail today, but then they'd simply shrug and move on, attributing it to continued New Year's celebrations. Not one of them would guess that they wizards were celebrating the young love that would soon come to fruition.

Meanwhile, inside the rowdy guild, a young Celestial Spirit mage had her head down on the wooden bar counter for the second time in less than a week. Some attributed this to a hangover from yesterday's celebrations, while the more precognitive mages were able to guess the true turmoil that raged inside the young mage.

_Do I love him?_ Lucy thought for the umpteenth time this week. She rolled her head in her arms, propping it up against her shoulder now. _Oh, why do I keep doing this to myself? It's not like I even know what love is!_

Breathing a sigh, Lucy brought her head up from her shoulders and made a late New Year's Resolution to decide on this later. She turned around, facing the ruckus that Fairy Tail was creating, and gave a small smile. _Today's nine dancing ladies, huh?_

As if Lucy's thoughts were a magnet, Natsu slid onto the barstool next to her (for the second time this week as well). "Luce, you excited?" he grinned, visibly delighted by whatever he had planned for Lucy.

Although Lucy was at the moment anything but excited, she felt her worries ebbing away slightly. "I can't wait!" she smiled, truly enjoying the gifts (that she didn't really ask for) by now.

"Ahem." A voice that echoed over the guild's speakers broke Lucy out of her thoughts, and both she and Natsu turned towards the stage, where Mira was standing. On cue, all the lights in the guild turned off, almost plunging the guild into darkness was it not for the spotlight that shone on Mira. At this, Mira nodded, and spoke into the mike stand that was in front of her once more. "Today is the ninth day of Christmas, and Natsu had asked that we do this for Lucy."

Clapping and catcalls echoed in the guild hall as Mira turned towards the back of the stage and walked to the center, before turning around and facing the audience, motionless. Lucy, on the other hand, was blushing furiously as half the guild turned to see her reaction. "Natsu!" she hissed, twisting to face the Dragonslayer, who only nodded at her and then pointed towards the stage.

While Lucy had been blushing, eight other girls had gathered on stage next to Mira. They stood next to her, all in the same, flowing white dress, motionless. Upon looking closer, Lucy realized that all the girls who were standing there were Fairy Tail mages. She held her breath, half-knowing what was to come, half-waiting to see what would happen.

It was then that the music started. A beautiful melody that twisted and ensnared all its listeners, engrossing everyone in itself and the beauty that was taking place on the stage. Each of the previously still mages had burst into dance, leaping, and twirling with all the effortless grace that could only be honed by a mage.

Lucy sat in awe as she watched the alluring display in front of her, captivated in the dance. The music thrummed in her ears, stimulating Lucy as she turned her head to look at Natsu, only to have her eyes meet his.

"Wha-What were you doing?!" she stammered, strangely not feeling as mad as she could have. Natsu only smiled, asking that question again.

"Do you like it?" He asked, eyes holding the same hopeful look that they've held every time before, voice a bit higher as he waited. _Waited like he'd always had, for her…_

"I—" before Lucy could respond in the same way she had responded every time before, she was overwhelmed. The music was steadily climbing in its tempo, and the dancers on stage had quickened their pace to match the beat.

"_You don't love Natsu?"_

A throbbing sensation was pounding Lucy's head in a rhythm, twisting the vision her eyes perceived as the dancing sped up. Quickening steps, feet meeting floor to each pang of the melody that flowed out from an undistinguishable place-

_A warm feeling, almost indescribable, spreading through her as she looked down at the cage of four birds._

…louder, louder, captivating and spiraling as her vision saw twists and turns and movement beyond what could possibly be achieved, and how did _he_ achieve it-

_Erza, flustered, misreading the situation._

-still climbing but not there yet, what tempo could possibly be reached, it was already hurting her head, fuzzing her mind, confusing her, making her think of all that she didn't want to think of, all together at once, crowding her mind, she didn't know where this was going and she would have been alarmed, would have been scared, but she was next to _him_ and so she was never scared-

"_He cares for you, you know."_

-pulsing through everything it mesmerized, through walls that were beating to the beat like a heart on fire, as the dancers escalated their movements and she still didn't know how, as the resonance strumming against her ears pounded and threatened to break free of its bindings, as twisting and turning bodies melted into the grace the music provided, as her thoughts, all jumbled up, came through in a single moment of stunning clarity-

_I love him._

And it all fell, and it was all falling.

* * *

::tbc::


	10. Tenth Day of Christmas

_On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: ten lords a-leaping…_

Dear Mama,

I love him.

I love Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail mage and Fire Dragonslayer

I wonder how many people knew it before I did, how many noticed my involuntary responses before I did. Levy, Erza, Gajeel…who else has tried to hint at a stubborn blond that she was in love?

I don't really know when it started, only that it's taken me so long to realize. I think I loved him even when Levy first asked me if I did. I vehemently denied it back then, but now…

Now I realize the truth, Mama. I think you'd be proud of me.

Before, I questioned what love even was. I thought that it was how the books portrayed it, with maidens falling into her prince's arms, with candlelight dinners on the lake, with a bouquet of roses every morning. Maybe some people express their love like that, but not everyone. It took me all this time to realize that everyone has their own, unique type of love.

I realized yesterday what kind of love Natsu and I shared. I don't think there's an actual word for it, it's just a feeling you get.

Sort of like the feeling I got when I accepted Natsu's gifts. That warm, fuzzy feeling…I only noticed it when I got the gifts because I had been looking out for it. But the truth is, being around Natsu, without any gift-giving, makes me feel like that

It's a feeling I realized yesterday, where you're just _happy_. When I'm next to Natsu, I have no worries, no pressure at all. I know that he's going to be there for me, and that I can let go now. I know that I want to be with him in whatever he does, because no matter how many times I yell at him or kick him out of my house, I don't mean it. Everything that is Natsu…that's what made me fall in love with him.

It took a confused Natsu, nine outlandish gifts, and three people to make me realize.

To think I always thought Natsu was the dense one.

On one hand, I'm glad I found myself (and fulfilled my New Year's Resolution).

On the other hand, I'm scared.

I'm scared that Natsu doesn't love me back.

I know it's really silly, to be sitting her writing to you instead of going to tell Natsu. I'm eighteen, not twelve. I should really grow up and deal with this maturely.

Except I can't. I've never been in love before, in fact, it was only last year when I made my first true friend. I've never been through the experience of being romantically rejected, and I don't want to go through that experience.

My childishness is causing me the same headache like before. But I'm too scared.

Does Natsu even know what love is? He just so…ugh. I can't describe it. So naïve and so powerful, with an iron resolve and such strong love for his nakama. Am I just his friend?

I don't want to find out and ruin what friendship we have. If I tell him, and he doesn't love me back, it will completely change our friendship, and I can't handle that.

I know you would tell me to go and tell him anyway, Mama. But I can't, I just can't! I know that Natsu doesn't love me. Today, I had even paid him special attention when he was giving me his gift for the tenth day.

See, I had been at the Fairy Tail guild and was sitting on one of the tables, chatting to Levy. All of a sudden, Natsu had shouted 'Lucy, your gift!' and started a guild brawl. While it was still going on, he came over to me, and pointed to the fight. He said, 'See, Luce! Ten lords a-leaping.' And with that, he jumped back into the fight, as the tenth lord.

That's it. Nothing out of the ordinary. There wasn't anything special, like the smoldering looks and the deep gazes in the books I read.

I don't know what I'll do tomorrow, Mama. I don't know how to act around him now. In a way, I do want to tell him what I really feel, but...I don't want to be rejected. I'd rather have us stay friends than be...that.

I wish you were here to help me with this. You were always so strong, and I'm not.

With love,

Lucy Heartfillia, Fairy Tail mage in love.

* * *

::tbc::


	11. Placebo, Check back tomorrow

Like I said in the previous two chapters, these chapters are placebos. Check back tomorrow for the actual chapters.


	12. Check back tomorrow

Like I said in the previous two chapters, these chapters are placebos. Check back tomorrow for the actual chapters.


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